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[Undercovered] Agbero Revenue Collectors Flood Benin, Govt Dissociates Self

Published

3 years ago

June 9, 2021

Boys popularly called ‘agbero’ have literally taken over some strategics locations of Benin metropolis collecting levies from petty traders in the name of council of such locations, Info Daily can authoritatively report.

Yesterday, some individuals who do not want their names mentioned had alerted Info Daily that petty traders including sachet water popularly called pure water hawkers are being levied by local government councils ranging from N50 to N200.

Consequently, our correspondent who made findings this morning (around 10:30am), Wednesday June 9, uncovered these set of boys at Ezoti area of the City issuing some ‘tickets’ to hawkers in the name of Oredo council.

Their victims at today’s operation include boys selling phone accessories with wheel barrow and hausa people hawking wristwatch at that axis.

The boys who were three in number as at when Info Daily monitored their operation in the area sit with bus drivers at the road side where Sapele Road buses load and emerge from their hidden corner immediately they sight a hawker or wheel barrow pusher, accost such person and forcefully issued ‘ticket’ bearing Oredo council to their victims.

They threatened to seize those who refused to pay them or questioned them for the collection.

The tickets issued at today’s operation by these agbero boys at Ezoti area of the city were in two categories and were issued at N50 and N100 respectively.

Their victims paid in total N150 before they were allowed to go further in their hawking.

The tickets issued by the collectors in the name of Oredo local government council

One of the victims (name withheld) who sells phone accessories with wheel barrow, while speaking to Info Daily, said he had never experienced such payment before.

He added that he only knows such levies are being collected at the popular Oba Market and that because he does not have money to pay for such, he doesn’t bother to go there to sell.

He speaks in pidgin English: “I dey pass here everyday go sell, today be the first day wey I dey see these people. They stop me and give me ticket. Na N150 I give them. Them say na Oredo them come from. Me never see this kind thing before. Na Oba Market I know say Oredo dey give ticket to who want sell there. And because I no get money to pay, I no dey go there. Now dem don find us come here .

“Na everybody wey pass here, carry market, naim dey collect the ticket and then pay. If you no want pay, dem go seize your market,” he lamented.

But when contact on phone by Info Daily, Mr Agbons uyigue, Head of Revenue Collection, Oredo Local Government Council disowned the boys, saying they are not from the council.

He said some set of boys once carried out such illegal collection of revenue from unsuspecting traders in the city in the name of the council but were arrested by the police after some persons drew attention of the council to their activities of which the council informed the police.

He said, “They are not from us. We don’t know them, and we don’t go the area you mentioned to collect revenue from traders.

“Some boys once did this kind of thing in the past but we drew the attention of the police to their activities after some people reported them to us, and they were all apprehended by the police. Even these ones, if we can get copy of the ticket, we will trace them and get them apprehended. All I need is copy of the ticket they issued to them and we will do the needful.

Mr Uyigue called on members of the public to report such Illegal activities to the council without hesitation so that the council can take action.

Latest news

Man, 38 Escapes Assassination Attempt In Benin

Published

9 months ago

July 22, 2023

Editor

Innocent Omoruyi

By Omokha Andrew

A 38-year-old activist, Innocent Omoruyi, narrowly escaped assassination in the early hours of Wednesday, July 19, 2023 as his residence at Obe Community,Sapele Road in Benin city was attacked by yet to be identified gun men.

The attack which eye witnesses say was viciously executed on Wednesday, July 19, 2023 bore the markings of a dreaded cult group terrorizing Benin City, the state capital.

The Obe, Sapale Road incident, it was learnt, happened soon after Omoruyi left the house to attend to matters of interest some few metres away from his home.

The assailants were said to have shot sporadically in their frustration as residents scampered for safety.

However, Omoruyi escaped unharmed.

One of the eye witnesses who craved anonymity said: “The felons apparently went for the kill, weilding guns and other dangerous weapons. “We are shocked that they didn’t see Innocent Omoruyi who was just some few metres away from home when they arrived”.

“How that happened, only God knows and it was obvious that it wasn’t his time to die yet and just before that not long ago his business place on Lagos Street, Benin City was burnt down in the middle of the night by unknown arsonists.

“This sequence of events is not ordinary. We know it’s politically motivated due to the role he played in the last general elections. He has been advised to go into hiding at the moment for his personal safety”, he concluded.

When contacted, the police Public Relations Officer Chidi Nwabuzor said he was yet to get any information as regards the latest incident. He promised to feed our correspondent with relevant details as soon as they become handy.

Our information source however revealed that the matter has already been incidented at the Love World Police station on Sapele Road, Benin city.

Business

Nigeria To Earn Over $4bn Revenue As FEC Okays Concession Of Abuja, Kano Airports

Published

11 months ago

May 18, 2023

Editor

Nigeria will earn over $4 billion in nominal revenue as the Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Wednesday okayed the concession of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, to the Corporacion American Airport Consortium, a Luxembourg-based company.

James Odaudu, the Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the Minister of Aviation, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

According to him, the Council also approved that the Federal Ministry of Aviation would be renamed the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace.

The statement noted that the company would make combined upfront payments of $8.5 million for the concession of NAIA and MAKIA.

He added that the development would spur evidential growth within the Nigerian aviation industry.

“In alignment with the Aviation Roadmap, approved by Mr President on 18th October 2016, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace is delighted to inform all stakeholders, both local and international, and the media, that the concession of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano has been approved by the Federal Executive Council,” the statement said.

In December 2022 and January 2023, Corporacion American Airport Consortium was announced as the preferred bidder for the airport’s concession after scaling through a series of evaluations of technical and financial bids.

Nominal revenues mean income not adjusted for inflation and decreasing purchasing power.

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Russia Expelled From Council Of Europe Amid War With Ukraine

Published

2 years ago

March 16, 2022

Editor

The Council of Europe says it has expelled Russia with immediate effect after 26 years of membership because of the Ukraine war.

The Committee of Ministers took the decision in a special session, the rights body announced in the French city of Strasbourg on Wednesday.

Earlier, Russia had already declared its withdrawal from the Council of Europe after it had taken steps to exclude it.

On Tuesday evening, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted unanimously in favour of Russia’s exclusion.

Russia joined the Council of Europe on Feb. 28, 1996.

Together with the formal notification of the withdrawal, the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe also received information from the Russian Federation on Tuesday about its intention to denounce the European Convention on Human Rights.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, the leaders of the Council of Europe once again condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

They expressed their solidarity with the Russian people, who continue to belong to the European family and share its values.

The body said it would continue to stand by Ukraine in the fight against the aggressor.

The Council of Europe monitors the observance of human rights in its 46 member states and is not part of the European Union.

The body reacted to the Russian invasion of Ukraine two weeks ago by suspending Russia’s membership, this decision was considered historic.